Harmony of the Seas: Fun for the Entire Family

Harmony of the Seas is Royal Caribbean’s biggest, and newest, ship. The ship is over 1000 feet long, and can hold over 5000 passengers. So what is one week on board this floating city like? There’s no end to the things that I’ll do for you guys, so I went on board so that I could give you this review; to be honest, I probably didn’t really need a reason to go.

What’s On board the Harmony of the Seas

The ship is, to put it bluntly, huge, but is divided into smaller sections called neighborhoods so you don’t really feel its size. Onboard, you will find two rock walls, a boardwalk with hot dog stand, a park(with real trees and birds), water slides, and plenty of bars.

Central Park

There is a kids club, an escape room, and an adults-only sun deck with hot tubs. There are restaurants that are included, as well as several specialty restaurants, such as a steak house, a Mexican restaurant, and Johnny Rockets, where you will pay extra for the meal.

Throughout the day, there are activities in various places around the ship, from the lounges to the pool deck. These activities include trivia, music, and shuffleboard tournaments.

The Boardwalk

Harmony of the Seas – Activities & Entertainment

While the daily program lists activities, especially on the at-sea days, the ship really stands on the on board amenities that it offers. For that reason, it’s a great cruise to go on with kids. Together, you can play mini golf, you can go down the water slides, and you can even try to get out of the onboard escape room. But it’s likely that your kids will want to do their own thing as well, when they play in the kids club, where they’ll be able to do experiments, play games, and even watch shows. There are different clubs for each age group, so kids will be playing with other children their own ages.

Royal Caribbean features characters from Dreamworks films, so Poppy and Branch, from Trolls, were on the ship. This meant that not only did kids get to take pictures with them, but they were the stars of a dance party as well. Characters from Kung Fu Panda also posed for pictures during the cruise.

Poppy and Branch meet and greet

The ship stops at Labadee, which is Royal Caribbean’s private port in Haiti. There, you can sit on the beach, go to a market, or go down a toboggan sled coaster. There are several excursions, including ziplining through Labadee itself, but you can also enjoy a day at the port.

Long gone are the song and dance variety shows that cruise ships used to be known for. Royal Caribbean featured a full cast performance of Grease with outstanding production values and a very good cast. There were also stand up comedians who perform stage shows as well as smaller (and more adult-oriented) shows in the nightclub. Late nights include dance clubs – and one new experience that I had on the ship was the silent disco, where each person wears headphones and can switch between two or three DJs.

One unique show on the ship was the Aquashow. Part stunt show, part dance performance, and part aerialist performance, we watched dancers in water, divers, and tightrope walkers.

There’s also a walking track and fitness center, but I won’t lie to you. I never made it there.

Harmony of the Seas – Food and Dining

Want pizza at 2 in the morning? There’s pizza at 2 in the morning. Want a hot dog at 10am? There are hot dogs at 10am. In addition to those two choices, the main dining rooms and buffet, there is a salad and sandwich shop, and a pastry shop included. However, one of the biggest negatives on the ship is the quality of the food in the main dining establishments. We found ourselves spending most dinners in the specialty restaurants.

Those specialty restaurants include a steakhouse, a Mexican restaurant, and Johnny Rockets, which is all you can eat for $5. However, the restaurant that most piqued our interest is Wonderland, where they incorporate molecular gastronomy and other tricks to make the food different. This is not a meal that most kids will enjoy, and it’s definitely one that any picky eaters should sit out (you don’t order your food; your waiter brings you things from the menu, but you don’t get everything listed), but it was one of our favorites. You will pay for specialty dining, but there are generally packages available that include multiple nights at the restaurants.

The ship also offers several drink packages, including a soda package and all-you-can-drink package. Just know that if you an opt for an all-you-can-drink package everyone in the cabin 21 or older must purchase one. In this case, sharing is not caring!

Harmony of the Seas – Cabins

There are a number of options for cabins, from inside rooms to suites. We generally prefer ocean-view or balcony cabins, but the suites do give more room, and include some perks, including a private dining area, and preferred seating at shows. Your budget will help you decide what is right for you, but it’s true that you don’t need to spend a lot of time in your room. Even if you just want a quiet place to sit and read a book, there are plenty of spaces to do that both inside and out.

Go or No Go

It is definitely a Go. There are a lot of activities to do on board for both adults and kids and we had a great time. While the food is not stellar, it didn’t take away the fun that we had on board.